The Perfect Wedding
by Kristen3
Summary: Daphne thought that it didn't matter where she and Niles got married, as long as they could start their new life together. But, on second thought, something seems to be missing. An AU take on the opening scene of "The Ring Cycle." Mostly fluff. One-shot.


Daphne stood in front of Niles, feeling her heart pound. In just a few moments, they would be husband and wife. They'd rushed here as fast as possible, not wanting to wait even three days for a marriage license from the state of Washington. So now, here they were, in a tiny chapel in Reno. It wasn't exactly the fairytale wedding she'd always dreamed of, but the only parts of a wedding that really mattered were the bride and groom. Daphne knew there was no one else in the world she'd rather have standing here with her than Niles.

Niles looked at her and smiled. "Can you believe we're here, doing this?!" He'd waited a long time to to marry Daphne. But now the waiting was over. Now she would be his, forever. He could hardly wait. "You look so beautiful," he whispered.

Suddenly, Daphne felt tears in her eyes. At first she couldn't understand why, because this should've been the happiest moment of her life. But she looked around them, and realized once again what they'd done in running off. She felt an ache in her heart. Though she tried her best to ignore it, it wouldn't go away. "Niles...?" she asked hesitantly.

"What is it?" Niles asked. He could tell right away that these were not tears of joy.

"We need to talk. This isn't right," Daphne said. She sniffled, trying to stifle a sob.

"Oh, Daphne, you're not having cold feet are you?" Niles couldn't help feeling nervous for a moment.

"I just don't think...we should do this."

Niles turned to the minister...or whatever this man was. "We need a moment," he said, taking Daphne's hand and escorting her to one of the pews.

The man shrugged. "OK. But make it quick. I've got another wedding starting in ten minutes."

Niles barely heard the preacher's words. His focus was entirely on Daphne. He brushed a tear from her cheek. "What's the matter? On the way here, you were so excited."

Daphne looked down. "I know I was. And I _do_ want to marry you. With all me heart. But we can't do it here. Not like this. Your father should be here. And your brother. If it weren't for them, we might never have met." Once again, she felt herself breaking down. The last thing she wanted was for Niles to think she was having second thoughts. Before she could say another word, she felt Niles' arms around her.

"Shhh," he said, stroking her back. "It's all right. You're absolutely right. This isn't how we should start off. Not surrounded by slot machines and bad Elvis impersonators!"

Daphe laughed. She felt her mood lift. "So...you're not mad?" she asked.

"Of course not, my love. I want you to have your wedding, exactly the way you want. And if having Dad and Frasier here is what you want, then that's what you should have. I'm sure they'd want to be included." He kissed her forehead.

Daphne couldn't imagine loving Niles any more than she did right now. After everything she went through planning her non-wedding to Donny, she'd hoped to avoid all of that this time. That was why eloping had made perfect sense. But now that they were actually here, it just didn't seem right. After all, she would be part of Niles' family now, for real. That was not a small thing, and she couldn't overlook the fact that the Cranes had taken her in so many years ago. She owed Mr. Crane and Dr. Crane everything.

Suddenly, the preacher looked over at them. "Well, what's it going to be? Are you gettin' married now, or what?"

"Oh, we're getting married all right," Niles said as he helped Daphne up. "But we're not going to do it here. We're doing it in Seattle, where we should've done it in the first place."

"We're in love, and we couldn't be happier," Daphne exclaimed. "We want our family to share in our happiness." She felt tears form in her eyes, but this time, she wasn't bothered by them.

Niles gently began leading her towards the doorway. "Come on, my love. We've got to get to the airport."

Daphne turned to him, smiling from ear to ear. Their wedding might have been a long time in coming, but she had no doubt it would be the most beautiful wedding imaginable. And it would only be the beginning of what was sure to be a wonderful life, shared with the man she loved.

**The End**


End file.
